Stories From 8 Mile road
by TDX
Summary: These are a collection of stories that continue the tales of street level MC's as they seek fame at Shelter Battles


**Blind Ambition **

"Success is my only option; failure's not." _Lose Yourself-Eminem_

The Shelter was packed tonight. It was a wonder that the fire marshal hadn't showed up to close the place down. Everybody who was even remotely into the Detroit Hip hop scene wanted in. Tonight there was to be a crowning on a new King of the Street and for the first time in history it appeared it would be a female.

No one, even hard core fanatics, could doubt the prowess of Dr. Ace. She had started as a long shot; battling her way through the ranks. Steadily Dr. Ace, the self proclaimed Redheaded Goddess of the Streets, established a name for herself in the rap underground. She'd battled men with twice her experience and left them soaked from her lyrical brainstorm. But it wouldn't mean a thing if she couldn't beat Milk Nice in the battle of all Battles tonight.

"Where is she?" Future grilled the young girl sitting in front of him.

"She'll be here." She replied looking up into his dreadlock framed face. Future was the organizer and conductor of the Shelter battles and he was getting more nervous as time drew closer to the main event. 

"She better be. This is a chance of a lifetime." He replied sharply. "You've been staying away from the bar right? I don't' want to lose my license."

"Yes." She said. 

"Good." He said leaving her alone in the back tunnel leading to the stage. 

She sat on the floor with her back to the wall unconsciously nodding her head to the heavy bass pounding upstairs; thrumming her fingers on the pine box she was cradling. Shawndrea Washington was a bit on the slim side for a thirteen year old. Other girls in her class had filled out while she had trouble filling an A cup. The fact she was honey colored and exceptionally pretty, or fine some would say, meant she still guys lined up at her locker; like her sister had when she was the same age.

Shawndrea smiled thinking about Aniceia aka Dr. Ace. Aniceia possessed a poise and confidence that Shawndrea lived in awe of. If she had to name two things that made Dr. Ace who she was it would be those with confidence being chief of them. 

She opened the box a peeked a Dr. Ace's microphone aka the verbal scalpel. It was simple silver rod with a black mesh top but in the hands of her sister it was a deadly weapon.  

"You touch it and you have to go out there tonight." 

Shawndrea peered up at the face of her sister Aniceia who was dressed in gray jeans, red sleeveless turtleneck and a gold chain with a letter "A" pendant. This wasn't Aniceia addressing her it, was Dr. Ace. 

"Here." she said handing the box to Dr. Ace.

"Thanks." Dr. Ace replied removing the mic and returning the box back to Shawndrea. "How many times has Future been looking for me?"

"Six." She answered watching her sister straighten her red tress. "You alright?"

"I'm cool. Why?"

"You look nervous. You never look nervous."

"I got a lot on my mind Small Fry." She said patting Shawndrea on the top of the head. "This could mean big things for me, you, the whole family. If I win this battle tonight it could put me on the map. I could make it to New York and be making CDs like B-Rabbit."

Every since B-Rabbit made it big every rapper in Detroit saw the Shelter as a stepping stone to greater things.

"Well I know you're going to win." 

"You do?"

"What's wrong? You don't sound sure about it."

 "I'm testing you to see where your head is at." She said. "You know I'm going to win."

"Not with them whack ass rhymes you used last week." Milk Nice announced. The ladies turned to see him shirtless, clad in his white bibs, white Timberland boots and shaved head. His all outfit was a stark contrast to his gunmetal black complexion.

"You couldn't find a rhyme in a Dr. Seuss book." Dr. Ace replied. 

"Whatever trick. I'll be keeping the title king of the streets. We both know that." He said before moving on with the rest of his entourage.

"Alright, alright." Future shouted into the mic. "This is the reason you got out of your mother**** beds this morning. I know this is what yall been waiting on; the mother**** main event. In this corner the undisputed king of the streets Milk Nice and over here we have one of the baddest females to ever step on this mother**** stage; the redheaded goddess of the streets, the challenger, Dr Ace."

The crowed erupted then Future motioned both MC's to the center stage. 

"You call it Milk." He said flipping a coin.

"Heads." Milk Nice said.

"Heads." Future announced. "What you gone do?"

"I'm going to let her go first." he said with contempt. 

"Alright you know the rules: one thirty second warm up round followed by the minute and half title round. Dr. Ace it's on you. Kick that beat DJ."

The Symphony by Marley Marl filled the air. She bobbed her head in time with the beat.  The shelter crowd did the same as they waited to hear the first shot in this verbal battle.

"Sit back relax yourself prepare to be blessed/ those that know the Goddess know what happens next/silly sucker MC's think they can beat me/like I'm book and they can read me/its not that simple I'm far from elementary/like going from juve hall straight to penitentiary/you are stupid for thinking that you going to win/you lose patience when the doctor's in/your reign is over it won't last/didn't I see Michael Jackson with a Milk mustache/what's that about can you tell me man/Milk, Mike, and Bubbles sleeping together at Neverland/don't like my diagnosis or the things I mentioned/feel free to get a second opinion."

"Whoa! That was some hot shiznit." Future said. "But it ain't over. It ain't over. Milk Nice it's your turn. Don't do a Poppa Doc on me alright."

"This is how it is and this is who I am/so much godlike might I should of been born in Bethlehem/you know who I am I know who you are/ look up in the sky its falling star/you've had a hard climb but I'm the best as this/I'm as far as you get up the precipice/as for me and Mike I don't think so/ but wasn't that you in Mr. Kelly's video/let me ask ya how's that for a disser/wait you're too old must have been your baby sister/do you hate me now I know I don't play Nice/but cup these in your mouth and I'll cough twice/when it comes to me don't ever think of matching wits/get my jewels out your mouth before I sue for malpractice" 

"Man o man this is hot." Future screamed. "Didn't I promise you a battle of battles? Didn't I tell you this was going to be off the chain? Look, we gone give the artist five minutes to get ready for the final bout. Yo take five not ten or fifteen and be back here."

Shawndrea greeted Dr. Ace as she walked off stage. 

"That was tight." She said. "That Michael Jackson thing was on point."

"Word." Dr. Ace replied. "I'm starting to feel it Small Fry. I'm starting to get into my zone." 

"I don't even think Jay-Z could beat you when you get in the zone." Shawndrea complimented. 

"You don't know." she replied giving Shawndrea some dap. "Not even Pac or Biggie could touch me now."

"Well if you don't want to end up like them you'll do what you need to do." Milk Nice said walking into their circle. His entourage was strangely absent.

"What are you talking about Nilk Mice?" Shawndrea snapped. "Only thing she needs to do is send your lame self packing."

"She's a cute kid." He said ignoring her comment. "Now Ace you know the deal right? Stick to it."

"What's he talking about?" Shawndrea asked after he walked away. 

Dr. Ace got a look of defeat on her face and sighed before speaking.

"It's like this Small Fry, Milk's uncle…"

"The drug dealer?"

"Yeah….him well he's printed ten thousand copies of Milk's CD and if I win he won't be able to recoup his investment."

"Because he couldn't use Milk's reputation as king of the streets to sell them."

"Yeah so…he asked me to lose tonight."

"That's wrong."

"I know that but he did pay me five thousand dollar to do it."

"You took a bribe?" she asked with disillusionment in her eyes.

"I didn't have a choice." She explained. "He….."

The rest of her explanation was cut off by the Future's call to return to the stage. 

"Alright, alright we back in effect." Future shouted. "Yall ready for the battle of all battles up in this mother****? Milk you call it."

"Heads." Milk Nice responded.

"Tales." Future announced. "What you do Ace?"

"Let Nilk Mice go first." she replied.

"Brace yourselves this is the end all be all." Future shouted. "Kick it DJ."

The song "Let me clear my throat" by DJ Kool burst form the speakers and crowd went momentarily upon hearing one of hip hops anthems. 

 "M-I-L-K M-I-L-K/If You think Milk's nice then wave your hands this way/M-I-L-K M-I-L-K/if you think Milk's nice then wave yo mother**** hands this way/the names Milk with a side the Nice/ like pork fried with side of rice/like the girls with a side of spice/or Tina with a side of Ike/that's who I am this is what I do/making you so sick they should call me Flu/you wanna battle me you must be faking/we'll go out tonight in the morning you can fix me bacon/trick you foolish thinking you gonna win/I blow up MC's like nitroglycerin/on the other hand you just blow/charging five dollars a pop after the show/last time I got back in line again/screaming doctor doctor please bring the medicine/but straight up on the real though/I'm a still be king of the streets and you'll still be a silly ho/how dare you stand against me you got me vexed/ those that know Milk Nice know what happen next/I finish the doctor and that's that/in a few bars I crushed you dreams flat/you're not hard tough or able/flat line your hope just died on the table/this ain't a game this about survival/ A-C-E was pronounced D-O-A dead on arrival/in case you didn't get and you're still torn/your career is like our baby still born"

The crowd was briefly stunned that Milk would bring his and Dr. Ace's deceased child into it but all was fair in love and war; battling for King of the Streets definitely qualified as a war. Milk solidified his reputation a Keyser Soze type of brother regardless of the outcome of the battle.

"You a devious cat." Future said taking the mike from Milk. No one could tell if it was meant as a compliment or a rebuke. "But it ain't over. My girl Dr. Ace still has the last word."

He handed her the mic giving her a "don't let that slide" smile.

"Kick it DJ"

The music played and Dr. Ace missed her first break then her second and third. Somebody in the back of the crowd shouted "Choke"; soon the rest of the crown starting chanting it. She looked at them. Some still held hope that she would bust into one of complex flows and defend herself. Still others shook their heads with disbelief. She looked for Shawndrea didn't see her. Finally she looked across the stage at Milk and his crew was giving him props. His new girlfriend, that tramp Misty, was there too blowing him kisses. They actually thought that two bit wanna be was better than her. He actually thought he deserved to be king of the street. 

What defines greatness? That's a question that each person has to answer for themselves. To Aniceia Washington aka Dr. Ace it meant you stay true to yourself despite what it cost you. Then she turned back to the crowd who were still taunting her.

Choke, Choke, Choke, Choke, Choke, Choke 

She coughed into the mic then said

"Let me clear my throat"

With that the crowd went wild and Milk Nice got a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

"Despite your weak flows/low blows/dumb ho's/wack clothes/ you still look like half of an Oreo/the red headed goddess is on a mission/to dissect this clown with precision/watch carefully there's no pause or intermission/I'm about to make the first incision/bring up our child I didn't think you had the audacity/punks like you is why they made the belt of chastity/I only gave in cause you kept begging and harassing me/we started at two we were done at two-o-three/as for the rhymes you used we both know who wrote those/you illiterate ass can't even spell flow/see this blossom is gone to bloom now/those with weak stomachs may want to leave the room now/so you're nitro who told you that/ the only you could blow up is if you're flat on your back/and born in Bethlehem you're no one's savior/did you tell Misty she wearing the chain I gave ya/did you tell her about the time your brother took a bath with you/when you were fourteen and he was twenty two/how about your draws full of skid marks/or that you're afraid of the dark/did you say what you were doing when our son was born/you were home watching gay porn/I won't stutter or stammer cause I'm better built/and I've learned not to cry over spoiled or spilt Milk."

The battle was over. She knew the outcome before the crowd said so. She was the new Queen of the Streets. She'd had her victory but at what cost. Shawndrea had gone home; not wanting to see Dr. Ace lose. 

"I'm telling you it was mad crazy up in there." Aniceia spoke into her cell phone.

"I can't believe it, my big sister's queen of the streets. But what about Milk's uncle?"

"We can work something out." she said stepping out the club into the cold night air. Three men were standing by her car and she had the sudden feeling somebody walked over her grave. "Look I got to go Small Fry. No matter what happens remember that I love you."  

That was last time Shawndrea would hear her sister's voice. Two weeks later Aniceia's body turned up in an abandoned building. Her murder investigation is still open.


End file.
